Race-ready 2018 Honda NSX GT3 to go on sale soon

Honda has announced that the 2018 NSX GT3 race car will be universally available to privateers and customer teams keen to race it next year.

Now eligible to race in more than 24 FIA-sanctioned race events around the world, including the Intercontinental GT Challenge, the Australian GT Championship, Nurburgring 24-Hour, Blancpain GT Asia Series and GT Asia Championship and Japan’s Super GT, the GT3 version of the much more placid, road-going Honda NSX hybrid supercar will set racing teams back a cool €465,000 (AUD$680,000).

Does it justify its hefty price tag?

Well, the NSX Gt3 has already had a couple of outings in the US, as part of its maiden season in the North American International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, where it finished fifth in its first ever race – the punishing 24 Hours of Daytona.

Italy’s JAS motorsport, in collaboration with Honda Performance Development (HPD) and M-TEC (Mugen), are responsible for assembling and supporting the NSX GT3 racecars across Europe, Asia and South America.

According to Honda Europe, an initial batch of 12 NSX GT3s will be produced ready for the 2018 race season.

When it comes to specs, the GT3 isn’t powered by the same hybrid powertrain as its road-going NSX cousin. Instead, it use power developed solely from its 3.5-litre V6 engine. All that power (we’re not sure just how much at this stage) is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed XTRAC sequential racing gearbox.

Finished in exposed carbon-fibre and featuring a “state-of-the-art chassis and aerodynamic package”, the NSX GT3 weighs just 1240kg – 540kg less than its road-going counterpart.